The Center for Coastal Studies mobilized volunteers to identify, document, and properly dispose of derelict fishing gear from Cape Cod Bay and the Cape Cod National Seashore. 

Type of Project: Removal

Region: Northeast

Project Dates: August 2018 - January 2020

Who was involved?

With the support of the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the Center for Coastal Studies, located in Provincetown, Massachusetts, mobilized volunteers to identify, document, and properly dispose of derelict fishing gear from Cape Cod Bay and the Cape Cod National Seashore. Volunteers included commercial and recreational fishermen, middle school students, the Massachusetts Environmental Police, private and municipal solid waste disposal providers, surfers, and other coastal interest groups.

What was the project and why is it important?

The New England Lobster fishery uses fixed gear made of vinyl-coated wire or wood-wire combination traps and synthetic lines. IStorm action, propellers, interaction with mobile fishing gear, chafed groundlines, and gear conflict are some of the ways traps can be lost, severing the buoy from the tether line, parting groundlines, or dragging gear into deeper water so that the buoy is submerged and untraceable. These lost traps may cause navigation hazards, damage the environment, or continue to fish for both target and non-target species.

Through this project, the Center for Coastal Studies facilitated a community approach to clearing the shore of derelict fishing gear. Fishermen, townspeople, artists, school groups, Cape Cod National Seashore and Center for Coastal Studies staff, and others were invited to attend informational sessions at the Center’s Marine Lab to learn about the project and how to participate. Local lobstermen aided in efforts to remove gear from the seafloor and developed best management practices for handling waste aboard fishing vessels. By engaging the community and sharing tools for prevention, the Center for Coastal Studies provided a proactive approach to reducing the amount of derelict fishing gear on Massachusetts’ coastline and waterways in the future.

What were the results?

As a result of this project's efforts, 34,000 pounds of derelict fishing gear were removed from shore and sea. The oldest intact trap recovered was 20 years old. Nearly 200 fishermen and volunteers engaged in more than 1,000 volunteer hours.